Who Are Your Friends?

In our life, we meet different people. There are strangers, acquaintances, classmates, neighbors, foes, and others. There are also people that we met since we were brought to this world. This is our family. Our family loves and cares for us. They play important roles in our lives. Other people that play important roles in our lives are our friends. Friends are the people whom we are not related by blood but we share a special relationship that bonds us together.
There are different kinds of friends in this world. There are some who are with us through ups and downs. There are also those who are there with us only during good times. There are some who are our “friends” only because they can get something from us. Lastly, there are those who are our friends only because they are forced to be one.
Friends who are always with us during good times and bad are the people we call our true friends. They don't only stay with us during happy times, but also through difficulty, sorrow, grief, and pain. They comfort us when we feel depressed or sad. They are people whom we can count on all the time.
Another group of friends are those who stay with us only during happy times. When you have troubles, those kind of friends do not comfort you. These friends do not believe the other ingredients of friendship such as comfort, sharing, caring, and loving. These kind of friends are known as the “good-weather friends”. This name is given to those friends who are only there during “good weather” or happy times.
There are also people who are our friends only because they can benefit from us. They enjoy our company because we make them feel good about themselves. They feel superior when we are around them. They also like us because we can give them something. It may be material objects such as free snacks, gifts or expensive items. Another reason why they hang-out with us is because we entertain them. thy think that we are fun to be with so they make friends with us.
The last kind of friends are those people who are our friends only because they are forced to be one. These people are our friends maybe because our mothers re friends with theirs. Their moms might get angry with them if they do not make friends with their mother's mare's children. These people may only be our friends because we force them to be one and maybe they are threatened if they will not be our friends. Another possibility why they are forced to be our friends is because they had a quarrel with their former friends and don't have anyone else to hang-out with.
The first kind of friends is the kind of people which are our friends forever. We will always stick together no matter what may happen. This kind of friendship is as strong as diamond. As for the other three kinds of friends, they are not really that reliable and the friendship that we have with them is like the wind. It passes us as time comes and there is a very big possibility that these kinds of friends in the future will no longer remain as our friends.

To those who are reading this blog, I just want to ask you one question; WHAT KIND OF FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?

A Love Affair with M/V Doulos and Books

Last February 2007, the Marine Vessel Doulos sailed to the ports of Cebu to visit and impart to the Cebuanos a chance to discover its beauty. The UP High School Cebu was given a chance to visit this famous vessel. The M/V Doulos is so famous for its various collections of books which are sold for a low price. The crew that runs this marine vessel came from different countries of the world. It is a known fact that this large ship is two years younger than the famous Titanic.
My experience with this Marine vessel was an episode to remember. When I was Younger, I was also given a chance to visit this amazing vessel and discover its beauty for the first time. Last February was actually my second time to rediscover its wonders and beauty.
It was about twelve to one o'clock in the afternoon when we left school to visit the M/V Doulos It was right after lunch time. My friends and I always go outside of school to eat lunch at a cafeteria just across the UP High school campus. Just after we ate lunch, we hurriedly went back to the school just in time when the jeepneys that we were going to be riding in to Pier 1 came. We were in such a hurry that I left my wallet inside the classroom which was already locked at that time. I had no other choice but to get inside the jeepney and leave my money in the classroom.
When we arrived at Pier 1, we were really amazed to see the M/V Doulos. We formed our lines going inside the ship. We were welcomed by a stewardess. The first thing I did when I was on the M/V Doulos was to tour around this marvelous ship.
We went to the M/V Doulos' book fair. It was a great place. There were different kinds of books. Some of them are children's books, informative books, bibles, and lots more. I browsed some of the books and found some useful information. The book fair also sold key chains and other souvenir items. I was not able to buy books though, because I was not able to bring my wallet. Setting foot in this book fair made me love books even more.
The best experience I had with the M/V Doulos is when the friendly crew presented a simple program to the young visitors. The program included games, quizzes and presentations. I had fun watching Reiner Siega, one of my classmates, participating in one of the games they had prepared for us. It was one of my favorite parts of the program and M/V Doulos experience.
After the program ended, we went outside the M/V Doulos to wait for the jeepneys. We saw students of another school that were with us during the program. They went to the book fair. After a few minutes of waiting, the jeepneys arrived and we went back to school.
It was a fun-filled and exciting day. I had lots of fun with the M/V Doulos.

What the Stars and the Sky Tell Me About Life

What do the stars tell you about life? Hmmm... Well for me, the stars and the sky tell me a lot about life. Stars remind me of my lifetime dreams. They tell me that my dreams are not hard to reach and as long as I don't give up on them. The stars also tell me that in life, there is always hope in all things. If you do not give up, you will always succeed. As long as you trust in God, you will ever be led astray. Have you noticed the stars during a dark night? Well, for me, the stars in that dark night sky symbolize that there is light in every dark corner. I remember the saying “there is light at the end of the tunnel". This is one of my favorite sayings. If I feel like I am in my darkest hours, I just look at the stars and I remember the hope that I have. The sky tells me many things too. When the sky is clear, I can say that life is pleasurable and there are a few problems. When the sky is kinda cloudy, it may be that life has its ups and downs. When the sky is dark during the night, life is ending and a new beginning will start afterwards. Tomorrow is growing and today is ending…

On Being Taught by Students

During the program KY SD (know your school day), many students applied for the position of teachers in various subject matters such as Science, English, Filipino, Math, Computer, Social Science, and lots more. I was one of the students who didn't apply for a position as a teacher or administration staff. I didn't want to apply this year because I still don't have any idea regarding this program. I know that being a teacher is a really tough job. it is really hard to convince everyone Listen to your discussion, especially when you have students that are very stubborn or hyperactive. It is not easy having to deal with students that do not get the lesson. its really frustrating and stressful to be a teacher. the hardest part of being a teacher is that they get a very low payment. During the three days of KY SD program, I have been taught by a few of my classmates and by some Bartlett students. My classmates who taught us are Dan Clever Gigantone, Jacqueline Martha Malazarte, Windel Binolirao,Leslie Ann Destajo, Adelpha Albino,and Lhou Ernestine Lariosa. The Bartlett students were Rheena Sesbreño, Rea Jeanica Sabijon, Jayza Nacua, and lots more.
Dan Clever Gigantone was very good at being a teacher. I really understood all his discussions and lessons. He knows the right tactics in teaching. He speaks very fluently in English and Tagalog. I had fun with the Filipino subject when he was teaching because we played a lot of games. I love to play games. Dan was the best student teacher of 1-Villamor class.
For me, Jacqueline Martha Malazarte was the most boring student teacher that I have ever encountered during the KY SD program. She does not know how to make her class a little more fun. I think she only reads from the book that Mme. Gallo gave them for reference. She has a very soft voice. Most of us do not hear her. I guess she was so nervous about being the teacher so she was not able to execute her job right.
Most of the student teachers did a great job in being the student teacher. Some stood out of the rest and others just were not that good for my standards. Well, they have their own way of doing their duties and I can not do anything about it. I just can say that this was a very nifty experience that i have gone through. I hope next year I will be the one teaching these students I have stated above.

"The Selfish Giant"

Once upon a time, there lived a giant. He was very selfish. He lived in a huge castle. The giant had a garden. It was the most beautiful garden in the land. When flowers in the garden bloomed during spring, it would seem like paradise. The children loved to play in the giant's garden.

One day, the giant came back to his castle from a visit with his friend, the ugly ogre. When the giant saw the sight of the children playing, he became furious. When the children saw the angry giant , they immediately fled the garden. The giant then built a large wall over his garden so no one else could enter it.

As months passed by, the wall still stood firm. The children missed playing in the giant's garden. Summer, autumn, and winter came. The giant grew lonely because he noticed that none of the flowers in his garden bloomed. He later realized that the reason why his garden grew beautiful was because of the children.

As days went by, he noticed a hole in the wall. Because of this, the children were able to play in the giant's garden again. Then the giant saw a little boy at the farthest corner of the garden. The little boy seemed so sad because he wanted to reach the branch of one of the trees in the garden. The giant felt sorry for the little boy. When the other children saw the giant coming, they quickly hid. Because the little boy was crying, he didn't notice the giant approaching him. The giant picked up the little boy with his enormous hand to put him on the branch of the tree. The boy felt sohappy that he gave the giant a kiss on the cheek. At the sight of this, the other children did not feel scared of the giant anymore.

From then on, the children could play in the giant's garden for as long as they wanted. The giant would always play with the children and he loved them very much. One day, the giant asked the children where the little boy was but they didn't know. They said that the little boy didn't live in their village. Years passed by, the giant was growing old. The giant could not play with the children anymore.

Winter came and the giant was taking a stroll in the garden. He then saw the little boy by one of the trees in his garden. The giant was so happy but when he came closer to the little boy, he saw wounds on both his hands and feet. This made the giant very angry. He asked the the little boy, "who did this to you?" the little boy replied, "no one.. these wounds are wounds of love. You have shown me your paradise, now you will come with me to my paradise".

Later that afternoon, the children all went to the giant's garden to play. But much to their surprise, they saw the giant under a tree lying dead with a smile on his face.

~THE END~